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Towing with TDI

11K views 40 replies 16 participants last post by  flmike 
#1 ·
Just swapped out the 2012 V6 Sport for a 2014 TDI.
Tow a 20' Haulmark with a car inside.

Last tow was 2400 miles r/t and I averaged just over 8mpg. I cruised at around 70-75 except in the Pa hills (I'm in NY) where it was screaming at 65.
70 redlined it and I wasn't comfortable driving like that up some of the grades.

Wondering what I can expect from the diesel, and wondered if anyone else had made the switch that pulled something bigger than an ATV. I'm hoping for double digits on economy and an easier tow uphill, but may be kidding myself.
 
#3 ·
I assume your Haulmark has electric brakes. If so, please keep us posted on your luck getting a brake controller installed. I just picked up my new 2014 TDI Monday and so far I've had very little luck with the dealer getting info on the brake controller.
Want to hear something funny? The salesman said that the 7700 lb towing capacity meant you didn't need brake assist for the trailer! He said the diesel engine would provide the braking needed! It's pretty obvious they don't sell very many Tregs for towing down here in FL.
BTW, I have a friend who just finished a 4 mo trip in Utah and Colorado pulling a 23' Airstream with his 2014 TDI. Said he got around 20 mpg overall. Pretty impressive……….
Mike
 
#9 ·
Want to hear something funny? The salesman said that the 7700 lb towing capacity meant you didn't need brake assist for the trailer! He said the diesel engine would provide the braking needed!
Mike
That guy needs reporting to his dealer principal - he's a very dangerous idiot. Do other customers a favour and call his boss.
 
#4 ·
A 6600lb loaded trailer without brakes in hills would be no fun at all - I use a Prodigy wireless controller.

Used a friends Dodge 2500 for the initial setup - after wasting an hour wondering why it wouldn't sync on the '12. Took 10 minutes that way. Should have gone straight to Google and saved myself that hour.

20mpg would be nice - I was hoping for 11. Here there be hills, and they kill your mileage.
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
Tow a 19' boat and a 14' Titan dual axle trailer with my 2012. Average 14-15 with trailer and 18-19 with boat. I am amazed how little it downshifts pulling the trailer loaded with 3,000 lbs through the hills of NY/PA from Syracuse to Philly going 70-75.

Recently did a short tow using my brothers V6 (he liked mine so much he went and bought one) towing the trailer loaded with 2500lbs. Experienced a lot more gear hunting even on the flat roads of south Jersey at non-highway speeds.
 
#8 ·
The rigs here are usually pushing 70-75. Much slower and I'd get steamrollered. There is a marked difference in economy between 65 and 75 for sure - but I'm trying for apples:apples, and on a long trip that 10mph sure mounts up time wise.

That hunting - and I was on 84->81->80 at the time - was part of the impetus to change. That and the crappy mileage.
 
#12 ·
Alana, friends of mine last year used a 2012 T-Reg 3L TDI to tow a race car on an open trailer, equipment, spares and four people with all their gear from Nova Scotia to Lime Rock and back. They averaged 18-21/mpg US on the trip at 65-70 mph IIRC. Your setup is likely 1,000-1,500 heavier, so not a direct comparison, but I'm pretty sure you'll see something in the teens, perhaps sub-teen double digits if you feel you need/want to run 75 mph. It also depends on how much you "need" to carry in spares, tools, compressor, etc.

Either way, it will be a vast improvement in economy and, as others have said, the difference between a diesel vs gas engine in towing comfort is significant. Far less shifting and screaming.
 
#15 ·
You have to sync it, so I doubt it. It also operates outside of the normal 2.4 and 5Ghz ranges for most wireless stuff.

Plus the wireless piece is only for the braking force adjustment - the accelerometer is attached to the trailer.

Mine's got 15k on it. It has just worked.
Now if only I could find better mirrors...
 
#18 ·
I've been using the Prodigy Wireless controller on my Featherlite 18' open towing my BRZ.

Works flawlessly.

I am from NJ and tow up to Watkins Glen and Thompson up in CT.

With the open trailer but with a tire rack and cruise on 80mph I am seeing 17-19mpg with it and no issues passing when I need to.

The key is to make sure your car is loaded on the trailer for optimal weight distribution. I had to play with my setup a bit to get it so that the truck sat level and the trailer sat level tried out various hitch heights and where I loaded the car.

-mike
 
#20 ·
I've been using the Prodigy Wireless controller on my Featherlite 18' open towing my BRZ.

Works flawlessly.


-mike
I use the Prodigy wireless as well. It works great and easy to swap different vehicles. Thankfully I was aware of the setup issues on the Touareg before installing and used my wires minivan to for setup.
Any extra setup tips? I needs to get this completed this week. I was thinking about using dads 2014 Chevy 1500 to pair it first.
 
#24 ·
It's easy to bind but I remembered reading a post that said on the Touareg you had to block off a wire and I could not remember which one or find the post so I just used the ford to bind it and it has worked better than any controller I have ever used and with no holes in the dash or trying to find it under the dash in a E situation. Now it just lays in my lap and I can slow the trailer down when I want without reaching for a dash mounted unit. Also I can tow the trailer with any vehicle without changing anything.
 
#29 ·
There was a brief period [early last year?] when VW incorrectly said in the manual that towing with a Touareg would damage the transmission and that's what I suspect he was looking for.

It is bullshite, but we know that, right across the world, VW dealers and their staff are often totally unaware of the capabilities of their top of the range 4x4 as their only really interest is shifting the lower priced tin boxes in volume.
 
#32 ·
When you think about it 600 lbs tongue wt. is not that much wt. for the way over built hitch on our rigs. I would and do just use common sense on the trailer wt. and how we load it. It tows our 23 ft. Tongue to bumper trailer very easy and has never bottomed out with 600 lbs tongue wt and no WDH or sway control, which brings up another issue. Our Touareg has the stability control and in heavy side winds it some how controls the trailer. At 55 mph and a 30 mph side wind and bigger guests the trailer should sway but it doesn't . I can't explain it but I love the way it works and the 15.0 avg. mpg diesel mileage is very good given the power it has over the Oregon hills.
 
#33 ·
I believe the issue with tongue weight ratings has nothing to do with the hitch itself, which as you mentioned, is capable of handling far more than the vehicle's tongue weight / tow rating. We have to remember that it is a rating of the vehicle's ability to safely tow with a specific tongue weight. That may or may not be in-line with 10% of the vehicle's overall towing rating.

Part of the problem is that virtually everyone repeatedly makes the "blanket statement" that one should tow with a 10-15% tongue weight. This certainly isn't the case for:
  • boats = 5-7% by most boat industry recommendations
  • trailers = some say 6-9% most say 10-15%. Most agree, the heavier the load the higher % you go for tongue weight. The Treg is rated at what, 8.5% of 3,500Kg?
  • 5th wheelers = 15-25% (I know a Treg can't tow a 5th whlr just illustrating)
The big test of proper tongue weigh to make sure:
  1. that it not exceed the lessor of the vehicle or hitch tounge-weight rating, and,
  2. that it tows properly (it's pretty easy to tell if you've got too much weight to the front or rear by how it tows)
Remember, maximum and ideal tongue weights are a function of whatever the weakest link in the chain happens to be, not the strongest link. I also suspect that VW likely choose to err on the side of caution in setting their ratings knowing that the maximum ratings are reflective of everything being set for new vehicle/brakes/brake fluid/coolant/etc., evenly and properly loaded and in top-notch shape. Reflective of what 10% of the vehicles actually out their towing?

Maximum tongue weight limitations in a non purpose-built vehicle is often a factor of limitations within the suspension, chassis, vehicle weight, etc. For instance, the Audi Q5 TDI (identical drive-train to the Touareg TDI) is only rated to tow 4,400 pounds and the Q7 TDI (heavier/longer than Treg) is rated to tow less than the Treg.
 
#34 ·
It also makes me wonder if VW may have changed the rear spring rates (reduced) on the 14's as we have the lower tongue weight compared to earlier years.

I plan on using my Blue Ox WDH since I have relatively soft load bars (350#) to control sway and provide the weight distribution. I will be heading out to a level parking lot to get it setup on the Touareg in a few hours. My double axle travel trailer has ~375# tongue weight with the propane & battery.
 
#35 ·
It also makes me wonder if VW may have changed the rear spring rates (reduced) on the 14's as we have the lower tongue weight compared to earlier years.
Certainly a possibility. IIRC, they did identify that there were changes made to the suspension to make the ride more compliant. Could certainly be that this affected the GTW rating.

I have relatively soft load bars (350#) to control sway and provide the weight distribution. I will be heading out to a level parking lot to get it setup on the Touareg in a few hours. My double axle travel trailer has ~375# tongue weight with the propane & battery.
I'm sure that will work fine, but remember that you are "just" over the rating for your spring bars. If you've got anything inside the trailer that you can move to the rear it would help get you under the max rating of the 350# bars. Doing that will allow a little more spring/give in the bars. Don't think it is a big deal, just if you've got the ability to easily adjust it provides a touch more compliance/cushioning to the tow.

Remember that if you're putting anything in the back of the Treg you need to add that weight to the TW of the trailer to identify your GTW. If that is the case, then I'd suggest either placing that stuff in the rear of the trailer, or consider picking up a pair of Blue Ox 550# spring bars. It is much better to have your GTW somewhat below the spring bar rating than above it.
 
#37 ·
Ok, prepare to be more confused. My new VW Touareg is rated for 7700 lbs towing capacity and 600 lbs tongue weight. But, the owners manual states very clearly: "This vehicle has not been designed to tow a class lll trailer and must never be retrofitted to tow a class lll trailer"! Since a class lll rating clearly falls within the VW specs, I can only assume a class lll rating means something different in Germany ( I hope). Does anyone know what the class lll capacity is in Germany?
 
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